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This is not a Test
Sixteen year old Beth was ignorantly happy. That changed over spring break of her grade eleven year. Her mother kills herself, her boyfriend of over a year becomes abusive and she finds herself falling in love with a boy she just met. Being a teenager is hard enough as it is; add a dead mom to the mix, plus a younger sister to take care of and it becomes a living hell.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2016
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 28, 2016
Disarming in its innocent sincerity, This is not a Test captures an image of a young generation with many dreams, hopes and fragilities.
Through the characters of her novel, Carswell bravely explores the struggle of losing a parent to suicide, an abusive relationship, friendship and love.
This is not a Test is touching and humorous at the same time, one of those book you will read in one standing.
Through the characters of her novel, Carswell bravely explores the struggle of losing a parent to suicide, an abusive relationship, friendship and love.
This is not a Test is touching and humorous at the same time, one of those book you will read in one standing.
September 15, 2016
“THIS IS NOT A TEST”
Welcome to the mind of a teenage girl, who was dealing with relationships and tragedies and expectations from those around her. This book is filled with brutal honesty, tenderness, joy, great sadness and truth. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting and found it impossible to put down. For me, a 73-year-old man to be able to live for a few hours in the mind of a young woman was a great privilege.
Some of the book is fiction; but I believe most of it is utter truth: A harsh vision sometimes and sometimes tenderness brought tears to my eyes. The language used in telling the story is modern and expressive; the kind of language one hears wherever young people congregate. It will perhaps offend some; but it lends credibility and stark reality to the telling of this story.
I do recommend this book to everyone. I will reread it myself from time to time. I am very proud of Liv, the author, whom I have known since she was about five years old. I look forward to her next novel.
Sincerely,
W. Robert Arnold
Welcome to the mind of a teenage girl, who was dealing with relationships and tragedies and expectations from those around her. This book is filled with brutal honesty, tenderness, joy, great sadness and truth. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting and found it impossible to put down. For me, a 73-year-old man to be able to live for a few hours in the mind of a young woman was a great privilege.
Some of the book is fiction; but I believe most of it is utter truth: A harsh vision sometimes and sometimes tenderness brought tears to my eyes. The language used in telling the story is modern and expressive; the kind of language one hears wherever young people congregate. It will perhaps offend some; but it lends credibility and stark reality to the telling of this story.
I do recommend this book to everyone. I will reread it myself from time to time. I am very proud of Liv, the author, whom I have known since she was about five years old. I look forward to her next novel.
Sincerely,
W. Robert Arnold
May 29, 2025
There's something to be said about this book that might be hard for me to describe. There was thought put into this, and I very much appreciated the writing style. It was relatable, it was sad, but there was definitely some moments that made me laugh. There were so many unique touches. I loved Beth and I really felt her experience. I got attached to the people she loved, and it's hard not to. This is such a hard topic to write about, because it's heavy and a lot of times, people don't like to confront problems that actually do exist. This is not a drill. This is not a test. This is life. I definitely recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews